Black Sox Fix Scandal

In 1919, eight of the Chicago White Sox allegedly threw the World Series. Charles Comiskey was the ruthless owner of the White Sox and was the main motive of the sox to throw the series. Chick Gandil was the first player to get involved and then he spread it to the other players on the team. The act by these players would be called the Black Sox Scandal. The Scandal nearly ruined America’s pastime. The baseball commissioner, Judge Landis, banned all eight of the players for life. Based on how Joe Jackson played in the world series and how he was proven innocent in a court of law, he should be reinstated into baseball and be put in the hall of fame.

Although gambling was intertwined with baseball long before the eight White Sox were accused of fixing the Series, the number of gamblers at ballparks had dramatically increased by 1919. Ironically, Comiskey posted signs throughout the park declaring, "No Betting Allowed In This Park."

No sports scandal has similarly shocked America or had such a lasting impact on its culture. The Black Sox players were suspected of throwing the World Series, and underwent trails. On August 2, 1921, the Black Sox were found guilty on all accounts. The final verdict was that all eight players to be permanently banned from organized baseball. The Black Sox players should not be banned from baseball for life. Although the players threw the World Series and had a huge negative impact on the fans and the game, they should not be banned for life because, they were only in it for the money, not all of the players that were banned were involved, and they tried to call off the fix.

The teams that were in the 1919 world series were the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox's were the favorite for the game but in the end the Reds had won the game 10-5. This was a major upset and before the first pitch there had been talk of a fixed game. The game was actually fixed so that the Reds would win the game. Gamblers had payed some of the White Sox players to lose the game. The people that had to gain from the White Sox's loss were the people that put bets on the Reds to win the game. The White Sox's were the favorite so they would have a lot of people betting on them to win and not many people would bet on the Reds to win. The White Sox’s that threw the game were called Black Sox’s. There were eight Sox’s that

For anyone who knows anything about baseball, the 1919 World Series brings to mind many things. "The Black Sox Scandal of 1919 started out as a few gamblers trying to get rich, and turned into one of the biggest, and easily the darkest, event in baseball history" (Everstine 4). This great sports scandal involved many, but the most memorable and most known for it was Joe Jackson. The aftermath of the great World Series Scandal left many people questioning the character of Joe Jackson and whether or not he should have relations thereafter with baseball. There is still question today whether or not to let Joe into the Hall of Fame.

The fix was known in the first game of the series starting with the pitch. Players where not getting enough money for playing baseball due to post war. So they saw an appointment to get more money to pay for bills are do other things they want. The amount of money they were going to get 100,000 to split between each other. (1919 Word Series) cynics were tipped off before the game even started during the betting odds swap before the first game. Baseball was struggling for survival in the pre-Babe Ruth era. Players were promised bonuses but mostly were left with empty wallet. Baseball needed some new type of flair that would attract America to it, despite it's bad reputation at the time. World War I was already making all the headlines, but the last thing baseball needed was something like this.

This was only the beginning, soon the media would start to look down more upon what is going on in baseball and they would pursue it. In 2002 the Major League Baseball Players Association executive director was asked a question by Senator Byron Dorgan, “Is there a problem?” The Senator know there was a problem because a recent National League Most Valuable Player admitted to using steroids in a Sports Illustrated cover story. The MVP Ken Caminiti even admitted to no regrets for steroid use because of the prevalence in the major league (Steroid Era).

Baseball is known as America’s pastime and is one of the most popular, respected sports on earth. Since the beginning of the sport, it seemingly advances with technology every year making faster and stronger players. The use of steroids became rampant and spread among players and has carried them away from the true history of the game they play. Controversy still today runs around the sport today about fines, punishments and record breaking. The past two decades of Major League Baseball have been tainted because of the use of performance enhancing drugs, also known as steroids, causing the loss of many fans and the true meaning of America’s favorite sport.

“Baseball’s Darkest Hour” or “The Black Sox Scandal of 1919” all names given to the 1919 World Series when eight players of the Chicago White Sox took money from gamblers to throw the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. Gamblers have been involved in baseball since the start of it. There were even multiple stories of the gambles fixing games so the outcome is in their favor but no one ever tried to fix a World Series until 1919. Even though the gamblers were fixing games no one ever did anything about it. In 1920 the newly elected commissioner decided that the eight players that were on trial for throwing the World Series for knowing about the fix, participating in the fix and organizing the fix. People agree with the commissioner about banning

There was great speculation that in 1919, the White Sox fixed the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Even though there is factual evidence of such occurring, some members of the scandal still maintained their innocence, like “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. There was a trial about the scandal and the jury delivered a verdict of not guilty, however when Major League Baseball investigated, they banned eight members for life. In addition, prior to the trial, crucial evidence went missing from the Cook County Courthouse, including the signed confessions of two players, who subsequently recanted their confessions. With all the conspiracy theories taken into account, the White Sox indeed did fix the 1919 World Series in exchange for cash payments that were given to specific players.

The Black Sox scandal is the name given to the conspiracy that fixed the 1919 World Series which was played between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. A number of players on Chicago conspired with different gamblers to throw the games on purpose. “This is the biggest scandal in major league history.” (“Black Sox Scandal.”) This betting conspiracy between a group of players and gamblers led to the permanent banning of eight players from the White Sox baseball program. “They were very strict on these players, the Major League Baseball association took away the players contracts, and they also fined the players of various amounts of money.” (“Black Sox Scandal.”)

The Black Sox Scandal is a fix game against the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. This game was fixed by eight players from the Chicago White Sox. Players felt like they were not getting paid enough and their coach was treating them badly. The 1919 World Series was a game that changed baseball forever. There became a point where the line between ball players and gamblers were blurred.

The Black Sox Scandal is a fix game against the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. This game was fixed by eight players from the Chicago White Sox. Players felt like they were not getting paid enough and their coach was treating them badly. The 1919 World Series was a game that changed baseball forever. There became a point where the line between ball players and gamblers were blurred.

The eight White Sox players attended meetings about the bribery and accepted and agreed to the bribe. When the White Sox first basemen, C. Arnold “Chick” Gandil, met with a gambler, the idea of throwing the 1919 World Series

The 1919 World Series was very interesting to say the least. Some of the White Sox players wanted some extra money. I believe that this series is one of, if not the darkest chapter in Major League Baseball’s history.